Prayer - "All" You Can Do?

My friend Suz and I were talking on the phone this morning, as we do often as we both drive to our respective workplaces (yes, friends, we were hands-free.) We were talking about conversations we had engaged in throughout the week. I was telling her about a conversation that I had had with a friend who was struggling with a family member. I told Suz that I had told this person that "all they could do was pray." As soon as I relayed this, I asked Suz why we, as Christians, say that prayer is "all" we can do? That makes it sound like prayer is coming from a place of resignation, when in fact, prayer is so incredibly mighty! She said exactly what I was thinking. "Prayer is is the most powerful weapon in our spiritual arsenal."

So. Incredibly. True. In Mark 9, we are told of a man who had brought his demon possessed son to Jesus so that He could heal the boy. The man had asked Jesus' disciples to cast out the demon, but they were unable. So Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and commanded that it come out of the boy. And it did. When asked by the disciples why they weren't able to rid the boy of the demon, Jesus said "“This kind can be cast out only by prayer." (Mark 9:29 NLT) If prayer is powerful enough to drive out demons, how can we insinuate that it's our last resort?

Prayer is something we should not take lightly. We should pray and pray often, with a pure heart. James proclaims that "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." (James 5:16) However, it doesn't need to be eloquent or drawn out. Matthew even instructs us not exaggerate our prayers. “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!" (Matthew 6:7-8) Prayer is meant to be genuine and simple.

Wait. Read that verse again. He already knows? Then why pray? Suz, again, had a great analogy. When our kids ask for our help, or just ask us to listen, it makes our hearts happy. That's exactly what God wants from us. He already knows our heart. He just wants us to talk to Him. And that's what prayer is - a conversation. But that conversation is so incredibly powerful and the enemy knows it. He hates it. He wants us to be afraid, lost and confused. And he knows that when we pray, when we really talk to our Father, we are polishing our Spiritual Armor (a post in of itself). When we lift someone else in prayer, we are helping to polish their Armor. Maybe even helping them put it on for the first time! And that Armor is the only way to battle the spiritual warfare that rages on a daily basis.

So next time I talk to my friend, I will tell them to pray for their family member. Not because it is "just all they can do,", but because it's the most powerful thing they can do.

How can I pray for you all today? Leave any requests in the comments, as I would be honored to lift you up in prayer!

God Bless!

Jenn